ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Leonor Dely and Millero Congo's, TALISMAN, includes the masterful production work of JB Eckl, Shango Dely, Francisco "Pancho" Tomaselli and Grammy winner KC Porter. Amidst the lilting vocals comes the unrelenting rhythm of sacred drumming that puts mere techno sound to shame. This CD entrances as much as it entertains, and gets the heart a well as the solar plexus moving. It's a celebration of life in all its diversity. Not since Bob Marley has music with a transforming rhythm and transcendent message seemed so accessible and insistent on a response. A talisman is something that produces magical or miraculous effect. These 12 uncommon compositions do that in spades.

Leonor Dely, in her prior release, "Ámame" was the Voice from Colombia. In TALISMAN the circle has widened to include the voice of the entire African Diaspora. Her voice is fuller, more powerful, richer, more urgent, passionate and compassionate than before. Backed by a global village of background vocals, she soars high as one of the two main pillars in this cathedral of sound. The other musical pillar is the drumming of Istvan and Shangó Dely. Whether they are playing Cuban congas, Colombian tamboras, Haitian petro drums, Brazilian repeniques, Andean bombos, or African djembés, you feel viscerally why drumming has historically been both sacred and sensual at once. JB Eckl, Shango Dely, Pancho Tomaselli, and Jeff "The Pirate" Poe embellish the architecture of this concept album with countless layers, merging seamlessly into something strikingly original yet uncannily familiar.

"Man is the supreme talisman," sings Leonor, and the passion and unifying power of this celebration of sound makes any listener intuitively feel the innate nobility of being alive.

Latest News!!

Leonor in 2006!!Leonor and the Embrace the World Tour is preparing for her upcoming US/Canada tour in late summer 2006, visit insigniarecords.com for more updates.

Leonor's new website is now up and running. Go to www.leonordely.com for all the very latest!!!

For large orders, please call Insignia Records at 818-225-0082 or email mail@insigniamusic.com.

Stunningly good Colombian roots music that's not afraid to stretch its wings and get a little modern at times, but never losing sight of home. Dely is a glorious singer, and the band offers inventive, seductive arrangements that never go over the top. Kudos too to the producers for such a clear sound. If there's any justice, this will find a wide audience that appreciates a band that has a clear vision of what it's doing, and which is certainly going to go places.

There is something in the hearts of Leonor & Istvan Dely that Bahai(s) and non-Bahai(s) alike can expreience....pure joy, and love for mankind. I am a better person for ordering this album; my husband, Daniel, says he can picture me singing 'Di: Iwe BonDye' to our little babies. Music is universal, and this group of artists tapped my tears, tapped my toes, my hips, my hands, my memory of the eternal. Thank-you Leonor & Istvan for your love for one another- it produces amazing sound.

I am from Colombia but I live now in Canada. There is so much talent in our country and our cultural and musical heritage is so great! We have a lot to offer to the world.
The music you hear in this CD is 100% Colombian. Just like the music of Shakira, Carlos Vives and Joe Arroyo. Or the art of Fernando Botero and Alejandro Obregon. Or the literature of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Alvaro Mutis. Thank you Leonor. Your talent, combined with our Colombian music and the Baha'i Writings are the most powerful and
sublime sounds... are a channel to happiness and God.

Drawing from a deeply spiritual place aided by strong production, Leonor Dely & Millero Congo give upliftment to the soul and deep musical satisfaction. As you go past the moving initial impression, you continue to discover satisfying nuances in the mix of things--fine guitarwork and percussion particularly.

Listening to Leonor Dely and Millero Congo's latest cd TALISMAN, one is impressed by many things at once: the power of her voice, the power of the band's rhythms, the way the band easily glides from sacred African religious-derived beats to dance rhythms and back.
Although Leonor is from Colombia, her sound has touches of Cuba, Africa, the Caribbean and the whole of South America.
TALISMAN is one of the boldest, rootsy-est bands I've ever heard.
Although there are string and wind players in Millero Congo, the drum section propels the sound more than any band I've ever heard - including Santana or Tito Puente.
It's amazing to hear Andean flutes mixed with chanting and a powerful beat: the drummers switch from one type of drum to another constantly, using drums from all over Latin America.
Many times the music sounds so sacred (like Santeria) that the listener feels like an intruder peeking in someplace he's not supposed to be, while other cuts are quite welcoming.
Strong music; very uplifting.

Finding the rhythms of soul in our Hearts with uplifting beats that make you want to dance. Another form of worship when the heart beats along with the hands on the Drum. A spiritual journey to the Creator with the rhythm of our hearts keeping the beat in joyful jubilation of praise and song. Uplifting!